Papyrus vs Undyne: The Great Papyrus
by ImpulseFunWritinAnon
Summary: Fatal as it may be, Undyne had unrealistically high expectations for Papyrus. She was a loose cannon, getting too ahead of herself. She was in it for the thrill. And Sans stood by, letting it happen. "Alright, punk! Ready or not, HERE I COME!" [Revised 10/30/2020]
1. Hope and Compassion

It was the coming of morn. The crisp air swept the snow from side to side, leaving perfect knolls all over the wintry landscape. In this locality of the Underground, the resident monsters slept soundly in their households, the warmth of their beds enticing. Only one of them was up at the crack of dawn: a scrawny, eccentric skeleton with unsurpassed verve, likened that to a child at play.

Papyrus the Skeleton was hard at work in his favorite past-time, laying out plans for puzzles to the west of town, building intricate mounts of snow, and testing them out for their difficulty levels. If one was not to his liking, he persevered and re-built them again and again, with no intent to quit. Papyrus often spoke to himself when elaborating on the next steps of his projects. Every now and then, Papyrus returned home to study puzzle-building whenever he hit a wall in his progress. With every try, he expanded on his multiple developments scattered throughout the area.

The Canine Unit of the Royal Guard, which guarded the general populace of Snowdin, didn't seem to mind. They found the skeleton's hard work quite amusing, silently admiring from afar and subsequently bewildered by the extend of the lively skeleton's endeavors, wondering if any of the traps for humans were even necessary. As impressive as Papyrus was, they couldn't find it in them to make acquaintances with him. He was callow, weird—wearing an outfit from a recent costume party every day since then spoke for itself—and too obnoxiously loud for many—a poor excuse for not liking somebody different than the rest.

As much as it internally bothered Papyrus, he pushed forward, hoping to one day become a Royal Guard. Then he'd have all the friends in the world!

Papyrus's first step was to get Undyne, the Head of the Royal Guard (and best friend), to acknowledge his reliance, trust, and fortitude.

One day, he went to Undyne's house in Waterfall, begging to become a Royal Guard. After slamming the door on him, Papyrus stood by, patiently waiting on her doorstep for her approval. He stayed locked in place all through the night. Once Undyne woke up and saw him waiting outside for her, she was astounded, impressed with his devotion and resolve even after the brutal rejection. After a brief test of his skills shortly after their first meeting, her suspicions after his first impression were confirmed: Undyne could not admit him to be a full-fledged guard; Papyrus was far too virtuous for battle. In Undyne's eyes, his innocence rendered him unable to defend the people of the Underground under any circumstance. However, Undyne was too enticed by his tenacity. Instead, she decided to give him cooking lessons, coining them 'special warrior training.' It didn't take long for her to warm up to the proud, vivacious skeleton, developing a genuine friendship with him.

Papyrus looked up to Undyne for guidance and the fun times (laughter and thrown spaghetti at walls, the marinara sliding off with comical_ plops! _) that came with the unconventional lessons she taught him. It relieved him of his loneliness and made his days all the more fulfilling.

* * *

Sans was roused from his slumber by the loud knocking on his door, as Papyrus did every morning, to remind him of his sentry duty job. If Papyrus didn't do this, Sans wouldn't get up for another hour or two.

Half-asleep as usual, Sans got his slippers and blue hoodie on and 'took a shortcut' to the sentry station near the Ruins. As soon as he arrived, Sans set his arms on the counter, plopped his head on his forearm, and closed his eyes, falling asleep.

Every hour or so, Sans teleported to the other sentry stations he manned throughout the Underground. Once it got to be around his break time, Sans teleported near the Ruins to see how Papyrus was holding up, then headed back home to take a brief nap. At lunchtime, he'd head to Grillby's.

It was another day.

* * *

Undyne's shoes plodded on the deep, frozen tundra, her footsteps leaving a trail on the ivory, cloudless snow. The mystical grotto's sodden weather drifted as she continued onwards to Papyrus's house in the chilly, homely little town of Snowdin. She yearned for the fresh mist on her gills already. Undyne would have to settle for the snowflakes melting on her scales, causing shivers to crawl down her spine with every drop.

As Undyne made it to her destination, she took a deep breath, trying to plan out how to tell Sans about her concern for Papyrus. However the subject's delivery went, Papyrus's safety was of the utmost importance, and no amount of sugar-coating was going to get the meeting anywhere.

With that, Undyne rapped at the door, exhaling her held breath. The door opened.

For once, she was relieved to see Papyrus's older brother.

"Sans," said Undyne solemnly, "I need to talk to you for a moment. It's important."

Sans hummed, cocking his head in curiosity. "interesting."

_ It's about my brother, is it not? _is what he wanted to say. Sans gave her a friendly wink. "come on in."

"Thanks. I expected you to be a little less lenient with me after" —Undyne carefully pushed the door behind her, the cold wind slamming the door shut instead— "you know."

"oh. that." Sans briefly remembered what happened in the Throne Room, giving her a sheepish shrug. "is, uh, the garden better now? i haven't been there for a while to see for myself."

"Yes," Undyne replied tersely.

There was an uneasy silence, the room slightly cold from the chilling gale outside.

"papyrus is over by the ruins preparing his puzzles for the time being," said Sans. "just so you know."

Undyne stared at him dumbly.

_ Come on, just say it! Sans is already onto you! It's not that difficult. _

"Sans," Undyne walked on over towards the kitchen, spotting the pet rock. She smiled at the thought of Papyrus caring for it, covered in colorful sprinkles._ Papyrus, you are too good for him,_ Undyne sighed.

"I think," she began hesitantly, "it's time for your brother to have actual warrior training."

Undyne saw Sans wince. He calmly moved forwards to save face, pacing pensively in the living room.

"Now, I know that Papyrus is an absolutely lovable dork—I can't even begin to imagine him hurting someone! But," said Undyne, willing Sans to understand as he continued to pace like a trapped animal, "I need to see if he can fight. Papyrus needs to learn now, rather than later, god forbid that happens."

Sans stayed silent and stopped his roaming. He vacantly stared at the blank screen of the TV.

"Sans, did you hear me at all?"

"yes." Sans looked down at his pink, fluffy slippers, tapping his right foot restlessly on the hardwood floor.

"Look," she said uncharacteristically calmly to try to mollify an uneasy Sans, "Papyrus may be the nicest, most amiable trusting monster in the whole Underground. And recently, I realized that it's a weakness he can't afford to have. He is fearless, would welcome ANYBODY with open arms. He doesn't know about humans like we do. We get to them before anybody else gets to actually interact with them. We do our jobs, and nobody's the wiser." Sans nodded numbly at that. "But what if a human comes through here and tries to get all friendly? And what if they decide to attack out of 'self-defense'?"

Sans blinked, shutting his eyes at the unwelcome mental image that evoked. "don't remind me," he whispered.

Undyne moved towards Sans, touching his shoulder. He shuddered. "What if it happened to Papyrus?" she breathed. "What will happen if he approaches them, expecting nothing less than good in them? What then?"

"stop," he commanded, looking at her with a mirthless glint in his pupils. "i don't dare think about the consequences."

"Then let's do it!" Undyne urged Sans, grabbing him by both shoulders, looking at him with gleaming eyes full of hope. "Let's make it so he _won't _have to go through what you did! We need to teach him that holding back his attacks isn't safe in the long-run! That way, Papyrus will know what to do when the time comes! We both know all too well it is bound to happen," she said seriously. "You don't want to think about the worst case scenario, right? So, let's help him so he can help himself when he comes face-to-face with a human!"

Undyne stood there, looking down at Sans and waiting with bated breath for his approval.

But his face said it all: his eyes were tightly shut, a sad, worried expression lining his skeletal features, his toothy grin quivering. Sans did not want to hear any of this, yet with a heavy heart, he knew he had to.

Finally, blinking his eyes open, with resolve, he spoke up at Undyne, pupils shimmering: "ok."

Sans agreed with great reluctance._ I hope Pap can forgive me. Wait. No. I know he will. He's so cool_, Sans thought with adoration. _Papyrus, if only I could have the heart you have. _

"Thank you, Sans, " said Undyne sincerely.

"no, undyne. thank you for looking out for my brother. i want—and still do—to decline on this whole warrior training thing. but... he means the world to me. as much as i love his attempts at cooking spaghetti, denying him the chance to fight for himself, for the sake of keeping him free of worry, will do him more harm than good in the future. i was being selfish and too focused on his happiness. so, uh," Sans stuttered, feeling awkward, "yeah. sorry about that," he said, grinning sheepishly.

"Aw, it's all good, you dummy!" grinned Undyne, relieved. "I guess I underestimated you. I didn't think you'd handle this so maturely," she replied tactlessly, trying to find a way to ease the tension. "Err, no offense, but sleeping at your sentry stations is something that I have known you for before you got the job you have now. And well," Undyne paused, brightly saying, "I guess it kinda gave me the wrong impression!"

Sans chuckled. "heh. yup."

"Well, let's get to work! First, we have to figure out how we can get him to come to the warrior training. I have a good idea already! Your brother will take the bait, but err, I have a feeling he will feel betrayed over not getting to cook spaghetti as always." _Even though I've already had a few secret battle sessions with him. But it's okay if Sans doesn't know. Can't hurt him. _

"that's fine. i prank him often, anyway. he's used to japes."

"You're unbelievable."

"unbelievably awesome," Sans wisecracked with a wink.

Undyne groaned. "Ugh, god, no wonder your brother reacts the way he does whenever you make a terrible joke."

"i don't know what you're talking about. my jokes are sansational."

"Wow," laughed Undyne, "a bit full of yourself, are you?"

"i haven't gotten to eat lunch just yet."

Undyne groaned again, face-palming in defeat. There was no winning a battle of wits against this skeleton." _Fine! _At this point, I think I'm just giving you more material to work with."

"hey, uh, you haven't told me your plan yet," Sans reminded her, plopping himself on the couch, his arms stretched out behind his neck, relaxing as he closed his eyes. "i'm all ears."

Undyne tilted her head as she studied the skeleton's facial features. "Sans, you have no ears!"

"so," said Sans, opening an eye, "how is it that i could hear what you had to say this whole time?"

Undyne stood there, dumbfounded by the question and unable to make a comeback.

"Let's leave it at MAGIC!" she grinned.

"sound like a perfectly logical answer," agreed Sans, closing his eyes again.

"Well, enough of the niceties!" she said, bouncing onto the couch and elbowing Sans good-naturedly. "Are ya' ready to help that lovable dork?"

"sure am," said Sans with a chuckle, looking at her with a dancing light in his eyes.

The success of their discussion about Papyrus's security filled them with Hope.

* * *

Undyne and Sans told Papyrus that they had a surprise for him over in Waterfall. As part of their plan, they decided to lead Papyrus towards the limits of the humid cavern. If they immediately told Papyrus what their actual intent was, Papyrus would have never tagged along. So far, the skeleton was more than happy to oblige, and followed them. Papyrus eagerly talked about his day and the new puzzles he has come up with. He mentioned how he would befriend them after a series of his great japes. Ironically, Papyrus had no idea that he was in the company of child murderers. It would break him to learn that the two people he loved most in the world committed such atrocities. Or maybe his SOUL would remain as intact as ever. Wouldn't surprise anybody.

Papyrus ran straight ahead of Undyne and Sans, paying no mind to the narrow stalagmite path where one could easily fall. Either Papyrus isn't afraid of heights, or he was too focused on the surprise. As soon as Papyrus beat them to the obscure location, he giddily ran in circles, waiting for Undyne and Sans to meet him. However, as he began to settle down, Papyrus stopped dead in his tracks, pausing to look around his environment warily. Why a surprise would be near a stunning crag of a mountain startled Papyrus. Then, he came to realize that this sort of surprise was not a present of any sort. Papyrus was no longer looking forward to the surprise. He wanted to go home.

"UNDYNE! SANS! WHERE'S THE SURPRISE!?" demanded Papyrus. "IS IT NOT AN ACTUAL GIFT-WRAPPED PRESENT?"

"heh. no, papyrus. we never even told you what it was. you have quite an active imagination, though. maybe after this surprise, we can give you an actual gift-wrapped present."

Papyrus gasped, his eyes shining brighter than ever.

"WOWIE! I CAN'T WAIT! WELL, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? SHOW ME THE SURPRISE ALREADY!"

Sans looked at Undyne, who nodded back at him. "alright, papyrus, ready?"

"READY AS I'LL EVER BE!"

"heh, ok, close your eyes. and no peeking. take my hand."

"I DON'T SEE WHAT'S THE POINT OF THAT, BUT OKAY!"

Sans held his hand, leading him towards the entrance of the ominous mountain. Undyne was quick to set up for the dire occasion.

"ok, papyrus... open your eyes."

"OHHH, THIS IS TOO MUCH FOR—"

Papyrus saw Undyne in her Royal Guard equipment. She stood on top of the crag with an apologetic grin on her face. "SANS, WHAT IS GOING ON? WHY IS UNDYNE DRESSED FOR WORK!?"

"sorry, papyrus. see, the surprise is—"

"Papyrus, you will be fighting me today!" she said enthusiastically. "There are no if's or but's about it! So, LET'S GO PAPYRUS! GIVE IT EVERYTHING YOU GOT! NYAHHH!" yelled Undyne with a shrill warcry, already charging at him with her azure spear on hand, clad in shining steel.

Papyrus's lively attitude changed, horrified yet excited by this sudden development.

"FINE BY ME!" grinned Papyrus, charging at her. "BUT JUST KNOW" —he spoke as they clashed, spears and bones clanging; Papyrus conjured a long one of his own, defending himself from every slash of Undyne's spear almost expertly, side-stepping the sweeping motions of her sharp pike— "THAT I AM A SKELETON WITH STANDARDS! HURTING OTHERS IS WRONG! I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT I CAN TEACH ANY ADVERSARY THE ERROR OF THEIR WAYS! THERE ARE BETTER WAYS TO DIFFUSE A SITUATION RATHER THAN TO RESORT TO VIOLENCE, EVEN IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE SO!" he said as spear and bone clanged and thudded, echoing in the dark cavern.

_ Papyrus is doing better than I expected. _Sans grew suspicious. _It's as if he fought before _—

"FEAR NOT, SANS!" Papyrus interrupted his thoughts. "FOR I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM POWERFUL AND WELL-TRAINED BY THE GREAT ROYAL GUARD UNDYNE! I APPRECIATE THE GENUINE CONCERN YOU ALL HAVE FOR MY SAFETY. FOR THAT, I AM FOREVER GRATEFUL!"

Sans's SOUL shook with surprise. _Trained? God, I could strangle Undyne! But oh, Papyrus is doing so great. _

_ I'm so proud of him,_ Sans thought as he stared at the magnificence that is his younger brother. _He will be just fine, _he grinned as they fought gracefully, twirling and sweeping aside from each other's reach.

"I WAS BORN FOR THIS!" yelled Papyrus as Undyne and he danced their dangerous dance, weapons ringing in the air and evading each other's bones and spears with elegance unseen, Sans looking on with reverence and joy.


	2. Love, LOVE and Its Faults

The wind was howling. A bevy of gales flowed down the sierra as they whistled through the wide fissure of the alp. After Undyne's dramatic swoop from the summit, Papyrus had his guard up, bracing himself for the imminent storm, staring with fierce joy at Undyne as they fought their hearts out.

With the recent discovery of his older brother's battle prowess, knowing that Sans fought like a fiend was more encouraging than intimidating to him; Papyrus always put his heart into everything he does, Sans never showing interest in excelling at anything. Yet, Papyrus knew deep inside that he, too, had about the same latent power within—a chance that Papyrus's hidden abilities were not too nightmare-inducing. Papyrus wouldn't know for sure unless he tried. But god, it would keep him safe from humans.

Papyrus was in his element, deftly blocking spear after spear left and right.

Antsy from the prolonged stare-down (and the expert blocking, tiring both of them out as they both took a breather), Undyne brandished her svelte spear, showing off a variety of swings, just because she could.

She was hellbent on getting Papyrus to go beyond defending himself, neglecting to consider Papyrus's annoying clemency. Fatal as it may be, Undyne had unrealistically high expectations for Papyrus. She was a loose cannon, getting too ahead of herself.

She was in it for the thrill.

And Sans stood by, letting it happen.

"Alright, punk! Ready or not, HERE I COME!"

With a jump, Undyne let out a battle cry, summoning a round of spears. They spun forward erratically, aimed at Papyrus. Papyrus evoked a volley of bones in retaliation (and as an innovative protective ward, so thought Papyrus with a joyful grin). One after the other they collided with each spear, the grating sound of grinding and slashing reverberating to their spines until bone and steel ground into a shimmer of dust, swept away into that gale.

Undyne bounced back near a cliff-edge, awaiting his move. Sweat beads were accumulating on Papyrus's long face, his mind focused.

"SANS, WATCH ME!"

With a flourish of his hand, Papyrus conjured a medium-sized Gaster Blaster of his very own, the light of their eyes a neon burning orange and dark blue. Another wave and the gap of its mouth glowed with light and shot a beam straight at Undyne. She gasped, jumping to the pinnacle and barely avoiding the Blaster in her shock. The smell of melted steel momentarily wafted in the air.

Sans waved and uncharacteristically hooted at him from a distance, jumping up and down like a dork.

_ Is Sans cheering me on?_ _Wowie! _

_ I'll show him how great Papyrus really is! I'll take bigger risks! _

Papyrus jumped from ridge to ridge of the mountain, making his way towards Undyne with practiced speed (Sans's suspicions confirmed, laughing and in good spirits) and upon bounding into the air above Undyne summoned a squadron of small Blasters, encircling the Head of the Royal Guard who got turned blue at the last moment.

_ I'm a skeleton with standards! _

The maws spun around her, lights charging in the backs of their jagged mouths as Undyne stood, terrified and enraptured with the sight, never have felt so proud of a trainee in her life.

_ I am doing this for my brother! I AM DOING THIS FOR MY BROTHER, _looped in Papyrus's head as he allowed the beams to consume her.

Undyne lifted herself into the air with a mighty jump, aerially maneuvering out of the way of the lasers with adroit swings of her arms and legs, wincing at the burning sensation when hit, willing herself not to stop as her armor disintegrated with every successful blast. She landed on one side of the peak, adeptly standing on her toes at the edge before bounding out of the way of another laser, trying to run and bound then in a pattern to deceive and evade the rest of the Blasters. It worked, but only just, she thought as her breath came in heaves and the sound of Blasters bursting with scorching light stopped.

Sans watched with wonder as bright as the unbroken will of his brother, so grown up and so magnificent, grinning with approval. Papyrus saw, and he grinned back.

Then, a burning sensation in his SOUL erupted, more zealous and valiant than ever before. Papyrus, filled with an inner fire, leered at Undyne, pride coursing through his body. He summoned a myriad of sharpened femurs and tibias, charging and locked onto his weakened foe's proximity.

Papyrus then proclaimed in a forthcoming, profound voice: "I AM DOING THIS FOR MY BROTHER!"

Papyrus unleashed his attacks, rapidly flying towards an unsuspecting Undyne, who expected mercy at just having been bested. She gnashed her fangs, grunting in frustration. Undyne bolted aptly on the mountain like a thunderbolt. She huffed and panted, her evasion of Papyrus's attacks mildly successful, her worn body betraying her at last. Papyrus managed to land several hits, the thrashing of blunt bones heavily marring Undyne's scorched and dented armor. On her knees by a cliff short of the summit, a fury engulfed her as incandescent as Papyrus's lasers.

An enraged cry rang out all through the eminence of the shadowed mountain.

"UGH! You may have had your share of successful hits, but THESE WILL BE THE LAST ONES TO HIT ME! THIS IS CHILD'S PLAY! Try using your bones once I rend you HELPLESS!"

"OH REALLY? HOW ARE YOU GOING TO DO THAT!?"

"Like THIS!"

Undyne held out her spear, emitting magical energy. She took one swing to her left, instantly turning Papyrus's SOUL green.

"You want to be able to defend yourself against a human, RIGHT? Show me how well you can defend yourself with THIS!"

Undyne threw a spear, expecting Papyrus to catch it. He barely managed to do so, but grasping it nonetheless, with expert hands.

"Use the spear and HOPE that you don't get stabbed by my AWESOME spears! FUHUHU!"

Papyrus, anticipating this move, took a deep, shaky breath, gathering himself and concentrating the best he could. Undyne, doughty for all to see, was set to strike, glaring with eyes as piercing as the sharpest of her pikes. She evoked a rush of spears from all sides, gradually approaching the spellbound Papyrus.

_ I haven't mastered this yet! How am to do this, and right in front of my brother? I can't afford to humiliate myself! I must do Sans proud! _Any self-doubt almost thrown aside, he clumsily maneuvered the spear to fend off the sharp strikes from his left, dashing errand ones to the rocks as he bettered his streaks. He deflected to his right, front, and back. Papyrus was all over the place, the sight—captivating in its chaos. Papyrus was consistently slashed and stabbed despite his best efforts, his injuries worsening as he struggled to handle his only aegis against the fury of spears. He wanted to scream so bad but refused to show weakness, enduring the lacerations on his bones, the grinding a sound that made him flinch and wince, worsening his focus.

With Undyne's turn at an end, Papyrus dropped to the ground, grasping the spear tighter. The friction on his bones stung his hard palms (despite his high-quality costume gauntlets) as if the spear was made of hundreds of pins and needles. Papyrus forced himself up to start his turn. Trapped and tormented by the misery of his painful lacerations—a few nearly down to the marrow of his legs and arms—Papyrus could only manage to fling some brittle ulnas and radii at Undyne, his aim unsteady. All his attacks missed. Undyne barely had to veer out of the way, foregoing her heavy, disintegrated armor, kicked off the cliff.

The odds were not in his favor.

"Wow, Papyrus, way to waste a turn! FUHUHU! MY TURN!"

Undyne began preparing an attack, buying Papyrus time to regain his strength. Despite his super-secret training sessions with Undyne, he was unprepared for this kind of treatment. Papyrus already braced himself for the worst.

Sans couldn't stand seeing his brother like this. He couldn't jump in and fight Undyne; it would defeat the entire purpose of the duel._ And Papyrus is doing so well. I have to believe he can do it! _

Taking advantage of the gusts of wind coming from the jagged peaks, Undyne conjured a tempest of spears, becoming one with a striking gale, whirling and dancing, the blades of the pikes singing. It was unlike anything Papyrus has seen before.

With a cry, Undyne released the wild maelstrom of her razor-sharp, magic spears and javelins, their enchanted tips keen, enclosing on a horror-struck Papyrus. _God, I have to believe in myself like Sans believes in me, like the best of me, the bravest of me, believes in myself. _

_ I am powerful! I am prestigious! _

The assailing onslaught, despite its remarkable power, encountered Papyrus's storm of human bones, a macabre display of cutting and blunt, big and small—powerful magic to counter. Both passions and furies clashed with a fantastic reverberation shouting up to the heavens of the cavern, the cave echoing through even its most fathomless reaches. Undyne was flabbergasted, her right eye twitching from the absurdity of the situation.

Without realizing it, Papyrus conjured a skeletal maw similar to Sans's greater Blasters. In no time at all, the mouth charged a fluorescent aura emitting from within the back of its terrible jaw. It resplendently burst out violently a screeching, scorching blast, causing the earth below Undyne's feet to quake, set to break the peak from which she stood at the start. Its radius was more than enough to clear Papyrus of all threats. The spears were rendered nothing but a dazzling shimmer of iron and steel in the dank air.

Undyne fearlessly sprinted towards Papyrus, bounding off the broken peak as she neared. Utilizing her enchanted spear, she vaulted herself into the air at the last step before Papyrus. As she gained aerial momentum, she aimed her honed weapon at Papyrus, ready to skewer him from where he stood, gasping at the expenditure of his attacks.

Suddenly, compressing magic restrained Undyne in mid-air. Her SOUL turned blue again, despite Papyrus's weariness. He was on the ground, not even looking at her.

Undyne froze, shocked by the familiar force. _Is this Sans's doing? He wasn't supposed to interfere! _She set her sight towards Sans. Undyne was wrong; it wasn't Sans (he looked as sick and horrified as he could possibly look, unable to turn away from the battle).

It was Papyrus. He breathed and heaved as she did, yet his face cast in a calculated mien. Papyrus magically stopped her without even looking in her direction.

Undyne felt like she was going to have a bad time._ As if I'm not already having one._ _Maybe it won't be as one-sided as that one time with Sans. _

_ Wait a moment, what's this defeatist talk!? I WILL WIN THIS FIGHT! _

Undyne howled with mad laughter, her movements restricted. She hectically eyed Papyrus, getting his attention as she verbally retaliated. "So! I see you are perfectly capable of defending yourself! In that case, Papyrus, I see NO point in treating YOU any different from your brother!" Undyne didn't put care into her words.

Sans, still a silent spectator, pretended not to mind what she said.

Papyrus, taken aback by the outburst, attempted to speculate the meaning behind her words with widened, innocent eyes. "WAIT. UNDYNE? WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN!?"

"It means that YOU ARE DONE! You hear me!? DONE!" Undyne yelled out, swiping her spear to her left. Papyrus's SOUL turned green, rendering him immobile once again. His only means of defense magically appeared in his hands, this time gratified with the circumstances. Undyne's horde of magical spears targeted him, with no intent to miss.

As the rush of the sharp-edged projectiles closed in on Papyrus, he harmonized himself with the spear. At last, he wielded his safeguard with confidence. With each deterred strike, Papyrus became more nimble, earning a dexterity unbeknownst to him. One could say his aptitude rivaled his older brother's combat finesse. Even the flux of golden spears that charged at the stationary skeleton stood no chance against his novel, yet excellent, techniques. His brazen personality truly complimented his fighting style.

Papyrus's SOUL broke free from the entrapment and swiftly, he scrambled to counter. He charged at Undyne, still at an impasse from Papyrus's enchantment, rendering her movements inert.

He stabbed Undyne repeatably with mercurial jabs, each blow more taxing than the next. Agony escaped Undyne's wind-chapped lips, her shrill, heart-rending screams ringing throughout the passages of Waterfall, the acute weapon's deep cuts more incisive than previously thought. Papyrus granted her no weapon, or movement, to overcome his attacks. Her only option was to take it. Any slight chance that Undyne had to speak up—let alone breathe through the pain, because _my fucking god, it burned, the cuts, they burned!_—was taken away by the consecutive, merciless strikes.

The magnitude of Papyrus's capabilities was driving Undyne up the wall. She so badly wanted to reciprocate and took each second in duress as motivation to exact retribution on Papyrus. Her life force endangered from each malady (a malediction as she swore that some began to fester, the magical damage more a curse), the deep puncture wounds and severe lacerations elicited more anguished screams as she writhed helplessly in the air. In between her shallow breaths, trembling and weaker from each hit endured, Undyne finally succeeded in articulating herself.

"F-for a... skeleton," she gasped through the throbbing of her injuries, "you s-sure have a LOT of g— guts! I couldn't... be any more p-proud of you!"

Papyrus, ecstatic at the sign of approval from his mentor, flashed his eyes with glee, his hands to the center of his chest. He deeply felt the validity in her commendation, adoring her every word.

"REALLY!? OH UNDYNE, THAT'S... THAT'S SO TOUCHING! I... I WAS BEGINNING TO THINK THAT I— I..."

Papyrus sniveled, tears gathering at the corners of his eye sockets, more rolling down his boney cheeks. This love he felt for Undyne's words knew no bounds. No matter what happened between them, he trusted her unconditionally, the same way he trusted Sans—and literally everybody else. Just like the bleeding heart he is. However, Papyrus did not let his awareness of the situation go. "BUT!" He tried to cast aside his natural temperament yet was unable to stop the waterworks. "I AM NOT GOING TO LET THIS BE MY MOMENT OF WEAKNESS! OH NO, I WILL NOT LET MY GUARD DOWN! WE STILL HAVE A LONG WAYS TO GO!"

"Or do we?" sneered Undyne, sneaking up behind him in an instant.

Papyrus, in his moment of weepy sentimentality, lost control of Undyne's SOUL. Undyne was too caught up in the violent, invigorating rush of the melee, enthralled with the thought of victory within her sight. She was too far gone, shameless in her deceit. Undyne took advantage, brutally cleaving her fine, sharp spear through his skeletal frame.

Time slowed down for Papyrus, the whites of his eyes broad, as he fell upon Undyne's shoulder, arms limp from the shock, a gasp escaping him.

Mangled and broken from Papyrus's relentless hacking and slashing, she hung on to the thread of life like her to water. Undyne's headstrong, undying character saw her through, refusing to succumb to her fatal injuries. Her unnerved determination began healing her SOUL, progressively soothing her debilitation—or so she thought.

Papyrus was strangely, ominously, silent.

Something didn't feel right to Undyne. In a way, her SOUL felt lighter, much more invigorated than her usual self; the vitality—profound.

This was no adrenaline rush from battle.

Her heart plummeted at the realization, her hopes and dreams dashed upon a desolate bed of rocks like her deflected spears not so long ago:

Undyne's LOVE increased.

The silence lingered in the frigid, cruel breeze, rushing and wailing through the crag like a swan song.

"Sans," breathed Undyne, "I—"

Without another word, Sans killed her where she stood.


	3. Best Bros Forever (Alternate Ending)

"Or do we?" sneered Undyne, sneaking behind him in an instant.

Papyrus, in his moment of weepy sentimentality, lost control of Undyne's SOUL. Undyne was too overwrought with anger from the melee, the adrenaline completely gone to her head and captivated with the thought of victory in sight. She was too far gone, shameless in her deceit. Just as Undyne was about to deal the final blow, her spear a pinpoint away from Papyrus's chest, time seemed to come to a stop, the whites of his eyes obtaining a clarity as clear as Snowdin snow.

A disturbed, shocked-still Papyrus got an unwanted eyeful of Undyne's eyes, her fierce, bloodshot, dilated eyes. Sans's eyes, vacant of light, witnessed Undyne's betrayal from a fair distance. Realizing that she froze in place, Sans's expression changed, confused, the light of his eyes returning. He warily moved one foot forward. Successfully. Undyne remained static in motion.

Sans was, needless to say, rather satisfied with this turn of events.

"bro," whispered Sans, trying not to grin too widely, "what did ya' do?"

"I-I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" cried out Papyrus defensively, deciding to make his way towards his brother, throwing his arms in the air, fists tight with tension after another glance at a frightful Undyne—he couldn't help a shudder. "UNDYNE WAS JUST ABOUT TO STAB ME WITH THAT SPEAR, AND THEN THIS—" Papyrus gestured wildly around them "—HAPPENED!"

Approaching Sans at last and kneeling to hug him, seeking comfort, Papyrus uttered in a diffident whisper the question bothering him most: "WHY DID SHE STOP?"

Sans chuckled, patting Papyrus on the back. "heh, there, there, pap, nothing to worry about. you just stopped time."

Papyrus gasped indignantly, giving Sans the stink eye. "I DID NOT! YOU DID!"

"did not," responded Sans with a restrained laugh. "not once did i interfere with this battle, no matter how dire things looked, even when—"

Sans suddenly fell silent, holding Papyrus closer as he shut his eyes solemnly. "even when the battle took a turn for the worst. i feel like," he muttered hesitantly, "i would have followed through if you were to have—"

"BROTHER!" Papyrus gasped again, looking at him gravely. "HOW DARE YOU TALK LIKE THAT! HAVING SO LITTLE FAITH IN ME, THE GREAT—"

"pap," said Sans, trying to mollify him as Papyrus walked away, pacing restlessly, "it's not like that."

"YES," said Papyrus after some time, a solemn expression upon his face, "YES, IT IS."

He kept pacing up and down. Then, he stopped, peering at Sans with a crestfallen face, disappointed with the knowledge. He looked upon the broken mountaintop, the desolate, dreary landscape, and its many jagged rocks, contemplating everything that took place upon this godawful rock.

_ I could have died. I could have left Sans all alone to fend for himself. Oh, he'd do just fine on his own. But it wouldn't be the same, would it? _he thought with distant despair, feeling as numb and empty as the wind freezing his bones. _I was doing just fine. Until I wasn't. Would my brother have killed Undyne if she did succeed in killing me? _

_ Does it matter? _a voice spoke from within his SOUL, bringing light to his bleak assessment of the situation.

_ You are with him now. _

_ He is with you. _

Despairing no longer and desperate for the warmth that his brother brings, Papyrus walked back to Sans. He sped up, then sprinted towards his older brother.

As the brothers' distance lessened—bringing Papyrus feet away from Sans, his face filled with worry—with an added layer of profundity to their relationship, Papyrus extended his arms in open welcome.

Sans came to him with a joyful bound, grinning with glee, and had Papyrus locked into the warmest—strongest—loving, brotherly embrace.

"SANS," breathed Papyrus, feeling like crying.

Sans didn't respond, trying to look away yet holding him tighter.

"I AM NOT GOING TO DIE."

Sans nodded against his shoulder and just kept hugging him. His eyes were shut, delighted, feeling revitalized by Papyrus's comfort. God, he needed it. He would not cry—not now that everything is as it should be. "papyrus," muttered Sans, "i—"

"DON'T SAY ANOTHER WORD, MY DEAR BROTHER! I AM NOT GOING TO DIE, YOU HEAR ME? AFTER ALL," Papyrus grinned impetuously, "THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS NOT BESTED SO EASILY! A BETRAYAL KILL? HA! A TRUE LOW FOR SOMEONE AS DIGNIFIED AS THE HEAD OF THE ROYAL GUARD." He scoffed, shaking his head, the furrows of his eyebrows knit tight with tension. "THE MERE THOUGHT DISGUSTS ME."

"i did not see that coming," admitted Sans. "i thought she was better than that." He hugged him tighter, suggesting the unsaid.

"SANS! VIOLENCE," said Papyrus reproachfully, "IS NOT THE ANSWER!"

"she was going to kill you!" cried Sans.

"HAD I DIED, WOULD KILLING HER HAVE BROUGHT ME BACK?"

Silence.

"ANSWER ME, SANS!"

A moment longer passed that seemed to last forever as the wind continued to blow its chilling air, trying to freeze them both in place. Finally, Sans answered, quietly: "no."

"THEN THAT'S THE END OF IT," declared Papyrus with a nod.

"no," muttered Sans, "it's not. you're absolutely right, papyrus: it would not have brought you back. but she would deserve to burn in hell for her actions," Sans stated flatly, adamant in his conviction. "killing someone like you is beyond wrong."

"AND KILLING THEM RIGHT BACK IS JUST AS WRONG," Papyrus retorted. "REVENGE IS WRONG!"

"oh really?" Sans inquired, raising his voice. "what if a human comes down here and starts killing your friends? what if they kill me?" challenged Sans. "would revenge still be wrong?"

"IF... THEY KILLED YOU?"

"yes," said Sans softly.

"IF THEY KILLED YOU, WELL..." Papyrus paused, thinking. "I WOULDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. THE THOUGHT NEVER CROSSED MY MIND TO BEGIN WITH, BROTHER. BECAUSE," he grinned widely, "I BELIEVE IN YOU! I ALWAYS HAVE! EVEN BEFORE OUR LITTLE SCUFFLE! AND AFTER WHAT HAPPENED, ALL I WILL SAY IS, YOU'RE NOT EXACTLY THE EASIEST MONSTER TO FIGHT, SANS. NOT EVEN YOUR DAILY LAZY ROUTINES STOPS ME FROM BELIEVING IN YOUR ABILITIES TO DEFEND YOURSELF!"

Sans grinned genially, touched by the compliment. "i may not be, but papyrus? it takes one hit. one. hit."

Papyrus sighed. "IF YOU TRIED HARD ENOUGH, YOU COULD DEFEND YOURSELF BEYOND HALF-BAKED EVASIVE MANEAVEURS, SANS. YOUR LAZINESS CONCERNS ME GREATLY!"

"it shouldn't. i can't be bothered to train the same way you do, bro. i just don't have it in me. not like you do. and that's why i think you're a star. the coolest dude around. don't worry 'bout me. say, you know what you can do for me?" Papyrus shook his head. "ya' can keep getting better and better. you can..."

Sans turned his attention off into the distance at Undyne, stock-still and wielding her vicious spear.

"you can go back to fighting undyne. she is for babybones, pap. and papyrus? know you are stronger than me, in more ways than you realize. it's time that you fight back. talking about time..." Sans grinned slyly with a wink, "i think it's about time you get it right back on track."

Papyrus groaned at his brother's stupid pun. He then looked concerned, grabbing a carefree Sans, shaking him. "BUT I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW I DID IT IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

Slightly rattled, his pupils rebalanced, then Sans gave a carefree motion of his hand as if time manipulation were no big deal. Papyrus scoffed. "bro, please. it's easy," Sans shrugged, still held in his brother's extended arms. "just focus. look: i can do it, right? who says you can't?" Sans winked again. "we are brothers," he grinned, "remember?"

"EVEN IF I KNEW HOW," said Papyrus, not convinced, "WHY DID IT HAPPEN?"

"dunno, pap. you probably instinctively did it because you were uh, about to get dunked on." Sans's eye sockets turned pitch-black. "hard. but" —his bright-white pupils came back— "thankfully, that didn't happen."

"AND I WILL NOT LET THE OPPORTUNITY HAPPEN AGAIN!" Papyrus proclaimed boldly. "SO! DO I JUST, I DON'T KNOW, THINK ABOUT STARTING TIME AGAIN?"

"sure. do it however you like. the fact is, you can do it. how and why, you ask?" Sans barely shrugged. "beats me."

"SANS, YOU ARE DOING IT AGAIN!"

"doing what?"

"CLEARLY YOU'RE INSINUATING THAT YOU DO KNOW! I'M NOT STUPID, SANS."

"ok, i do know. the answer is," Sans winked once more, "science."

Papyrus thought over his brother's explanation. After a couple of minutes, he eagerly raised his hand in the air, dropping Sans in the process. "I'LL ALLOW IT!"

Suddenly, time started back up again. Undyne's spear cleaved the air. She fell face-flat onto the cavern floor, utterly baffled by Papyrus's disappearance. Undyne wildly flailed about, yelling and shrieking in confusion and anger—a dangerous combination. She bounced right back up, looking everywhere.

There he was in the distance, Papyrus standing tall and proud, Sans laying on the ground, half-asleep.

Enraged, Undyne cried out with abandon. "THAT'S IT! YOU CHEATER! I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU SUFFER GREATLY FOR THIS! THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE FAIR! ARGH—!"

Just as she was going to conjure a grand blitz of spears, Papyrus stopped time again, this time on purpose.

"SANS," whined Papyrus, "WHY IS SHE ACTING SO SCARY?"

"because you 'cheated'. you tell me i cheat all the time, pap. do remember stopping time is not something that everybody can do. i can understand a bit of Undyne's sentiment. the murderous rampage part? not so much."

"SO WHAT YOU ARE SAYING IS, YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND HER AT ALL."

"yup. i'll tell you this much: she has a very determined look in her eyes," said Sans coldly. With sudden brightness, he suggested, "how about you take a jab at her?"

"I DIDN'T WANT TO HURT HER. BUT. I MUST FIGHT! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL PACIFY HER!"

"that's what I like to hear, papyrus," grinned Sans with approval. "go for it."

Papyrus conjured a gathering of bones, blunt as can be, yet not enough to kill her. He summoned the familiar Blaster, and made his move.

"I WILL BEST UNDYNE! HERE IT IS! MY REGULAR ATTACK!"

Papyrus released the barrage of bones, making time start again. Undyne's eyes widened at the spectacle, as she was hit with bone after bone, buffeted onto the ground. She was rendered helpless with the unrelenting force of each individual projectile. Her anger dissipated into that of fright.

"PAPYRUS! Papyrus! That's ENOUGH! Spare me before you end up having me KI— AUGH!" Undyne was slammed by the massive, elongated bones on her chest, some bigger in size than the rest. Knocked back again and again, Undyne was unable to fight back. There was no besting her if such an elaborate, calculated act of aggression hadn't killed her yet, let alone calmed down her less than sunny disposition, Papyrus observed. He should have stopped his onslaught a while ago. Yet, he was preparing something else during the one-sided skirmish, away from that frightening, dark mountain.

_ THIS IS FOR MY BROTHER! _

_ His Blaster! _gasped Undyne, terrified on the ground and scrambling to get up.

"AND NOW, UNDYNE," said Papyrus with a gallant bow, "AFTER THE MAGNIFICENT SHOWCASE OF MY OFFENSIVE CAPABILITIES, I RELEASE MY SPECIAL ATTACK! FEEL MY SHINING BEAMS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS!"

With those words, his one Blaster targeted Undyne with a fixed, menacing glare. Suddenly, a couple more maws appeared to join the other. They starting circling Undyne, her world revolving faster and faster, creating the illusion of the presence of more than a dozen skeletal terrific mouths of unrelenting fury. The smoldering, resplendent blasts of light heated the air, the ground convulsing in the chaos of the cataclysm. Sans watched eagerly, a glint in his pupils, taking a guiltless and fulfilled sense of macabre bliss in the subjugation of Undyne.

"you are so cool, bro," Sans whispered in reverent adoration.

Papyrus proved his exceptional competence and cunning, giving Undyne the greatest display of combat finesse yet.

And despite it all, Papyrus was still him. He refused to deal the fatal hit—refused to kill. The glorious wheel of seraphic wrath vanished with a flamboyant sweep of his hand, Papyrus extended his arm out to Undyne as she lay dying on the ground. He held her, readying himself to take a shortcut with Sans to Alphys's lab to get her healed.

Sans held his brother in higher esteem that very day. The promise will stand true: he will not force his younger brother to fight; to respect his benevolent will and mental well-being.

It's the least he could do.

"YOU KNOW," said Papyrus thoughtfully as he held Undyne, unconscious, "I WONDER IF THERE IS SOME TERRIFIC GOD OUT THERE, SANS. SOMETHING SO TERRIBLE THAT IT WOULD MAKE VIOLENCE NOT OF OUR OWN MAKING, BUT THEIRS. DO NOT MISUNDERSTAND ME: WE HAVE OUR WILL! BUT THAT IT'S NOT REALLY US DOING THE BAD STUFF, SANS. THAT A GREAT, AWFUL GOD OUT THERE IS USING US TO DO THE TORTURING, SLAYING AND FIGHTING: THE BAD ACTIONS? IT'S THEM. NOT US. SO EVEN IF YOU WERE TO RESORT TO VIOLENCE, WELL. IT WOULDN'T REALLY BE YOU.

"WOULD IT, SANS?"

Sans teleported silently, not feeling comfortable enough to give an honest answer.


End file.
